Initium Novum
by papillonpan
Summary: Kennedy Harper, like all first year students, must navigate her life through Hogwarts. Figuring out who she is, her place in the world, and keeping her grades up are hard enough as it is. Throw in a few secrets, a terrible beast, and no small amount of danger, it'll be a miracle if she even survives her first year - let alone thrives in it.


Hello my little beans. Yes, it has been a while. No, I haven't died. Yet. I'm still working on Laat Dovahkiin and Walk on Water, but a lot of life happened and I made a major move and now I'm in major school so my writing time was cut down to like...zero. So there's that. I am back though with a little more time on my hands so hopefully I can start posting again. So sorry to any who might have been waiting. This here that I'm writing is...well...I've been working on this for quite some time. It's been on paper for probably two years. Figured it was time to post it. I'm very excited for this series, it's gonna be a long one. I hope you'll stick around.

I honestly wasn't sure what...timeline...this was going to be in. I didn't know if I wanted this to take place after the whole HP story or perhaps after the Fantastic Beast story or even marauder time. I have decided, however, that it's going to be in kind of a 'limbo' timeline. You'll find out what I mean by that later, but basically Harry Potter and crew are not in this story. James Potter and crew are also not in this story. Newt Scamander and his crew are also...you guessed it...not in this story. So there's that. Take it for what you will.

I hope you enjoy! Let me know if you did or even if you didn't. That's fine, too.

**Disclaimer: **If you recognize it - I don't own it.

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**Initium Novum**  
Chapter One: The Harpers

Breakfast at the Harper residence was usually a hectic affair. Pots and pans banging together, the sizzling of food cooking, four bodies in constant motion around the kitchen, voices and laughter overlapping one another as various animals also contributed to the rambunctious household. The frogs and toads were awake and croaking, feathers from the two owls the Harper's owned ruffled at the excitement, their greyhound barked as its claws tapped against the tiled floor in excitement, and the windchimes tinkled in the window as the morning air shifted through the open window. Sunlight streamed into the kitchen, brilliant shades of orange and yellow cascading around the room through all the handmade glass figures hanging from the ceilings and littered on any available counterspace.

Kennedy Harper let out another laugh as she dodged her father's hands, twisting around the island counter and dashing behind her brother, Jacob. Their mother managed to roll her eyes before chuckling at their antics, flicking her aspen wand once to set the table with dishes and placemats. The objects quickly floating from their place in the cabinets and settled gracefully on the table, Kennedy ducking under a few dishes to stay out of reach from her father's grip, still chasing her around the kitchen.

"Come on, dad! She's not that fast!" Jacob teased. Kenneth, their father, let out a dramatic huff of air and threw himself into the wooden chair at the head of the table.

"You chase her, then. I'm beat," he joked, fanning himself. A pan of eggs drifted over his head to begin filling each plate, other pans and pots following suit with various breakfast foods. "Aurora, do you need any help?" Kenneth asked his wife.

"No thanks, honey. Just about done," came her soft voice. "Well, I suppose you could wrangle the children into taking their seats," she mused. "If you're, you know, not too beat."

"Ooh, she got you there!" Kennedy taunted, maneuvering around their greyhound, Atticus, in order to move closer to the table. Jacob joined in the jeering as well, snickering at his father.

"Woah. I don't remember there being an ambush dad day last year!" Kenneth exclaimed, leaning back into his chair looking affronted. "Come on kids. Time to eat. We've got a big day ahead of us, right?"

Normally, Kennedy and her brother would give their parents a hard time, as they always did. Not to misbehave, of course, but because they figured out early on that their parents liked to be kept on their toes. However, today being the day that they traveled to King's Cross, the eleven-year-old child was much too excited to put up a fight. She suspected her brother's excitement was getting the better of him as well, as even he didn't try to give their father a hard time and instead nearly threw himself into his chair. Kennedy took her leg and scooched Atticus over from beneath her feet, the dog merely gazing up at her, not bothering to help at all.

Aurora waved her wand once more as Kennedy and Jacob's glasses of orange juice moved from the kitchen island and set themselves in front of their respect owners. She sat down just as the last pan of biscuits emptied its contents into a serving bowl before whizzing back into the sink to wash itself.

"Eat up," she instructed. Nobody had to be told twice. "Everything packed and ready, Jacob?" she asked. Jacob brushed the blonde hair from his face, unruly no matter what he did to it, and nodded.

"Finished right when I got up," he answered before stuffing his mouth full of food. "Don't bother asking Kennedy," he started, talking around his food. "She's been packed for two weeks." Kennedy scoffed at him, stabbing her eggs unnecessarily hard while eyeballing him.

"I'm just excited," she stated. "It's Hogwarts!"

"You're gonna be sorted into Ravenclaw," Jacob muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Ravenclaw would be fine," Aurora stated, giving Jacob a stern eye.

"You and Jacob are Gryffindors, though!" Kennedy pouted. Aurora smiled and shrugged a little, her blonde hair falling shifting over her shoulder.

"You could be sorted into any house, Kennedy. Your father and I will be proud no matter which house you're chosen for." Kennedy pouted a little more, reaching down to rub at Atticus's ears as he settled his head into her lap, offering comfort, as if sensing the anxiousness inside her. It was true, she was very excited, but also incredibly nervous. Kennedy had been waiting for this day since she was old enough to understand what Hogwarts was. She wanted this day to be perfect, and to her, that meant getting into Gryffindor.

"Don't stress yourself until you have to," her father offered. This was one of his famous sayings around the house, and one he said often.

"Don't stress yourself until you get sorted into Slytherin!" Jacob teased, shoving food into his mouth. At this, Kennedy's face flushed, and she glared at her brother.

"I won't go to Slytherin!" she said hotly. At this, Aurora sat back in her chair. The Harper kids were generally well behaved, so rarely was it an issue where she felt the need to intervene. Siblings would be siblings, however, and she sighed a little. She turned to Jacob first.

"That was mean," she said sternly. To his credit, Jacob looked a little guilty, looking down at his food. His teasing always came from a place of humor and lightness, but sometimes it didn't come out that way. She turned to Kennedy next, making sure her youngest had made eye contact with her. "Kennedy, there is nothing wrong with Slytherin."

"Dark wizards are from Slytherin," she said very quietly. The table went silent, and it was almost as if the entire house went silent for a moment.

"Every house has the ability to produce a Dark Wizard," Aurora said very carefully. "Slytherin has produced the most, no doubt. That, however, is not a reflection on the house itself. Children don't go into Slytherin to become Dark Wizards, Kennedy. It's a house of ambition and great power, and what you do with that ambition and great power is up to you. You would be very lucky to get into Slytherin," she finished. Kennedy looked slightly perplexed at this. Despite her mother's words she couldn't help but be upset at the prospect of that house.

"That's the one in the dungeon, right?" Kenneth asked then, raising an eyebrow. Aurora nodded, tilting her head once more – a habit of hers.

"You can see into the lake," she answered. "Spectacular creatures in that lake." She said it so fondly that Kenneth couldn't help but smile at her a little. Of course, she had been more impressed with the magical creatures than anything else at the school. The conversation drifted from the topic of Slytherin, Kennedy still not looking at Jacob, nor really paying much attention to her parents as Aurora and Jacob tried to explain what Hogwarts looked like to her dad. As a muggle, he had never been on Hogwarts grounds, though he had a very vivid imagination. Something that showed in his glassblowing artwork throughout the house.

Kennedy's mind drifted off after a while, her mind working hard to convince herself that everything was going to work out just fine, even if her heart was still very unsure. After breakfast, Kennedy left the confines of her house and out into their vast backyard. The garden was immediately out to the back, the greenhouse being just off to the left. She stopped in there to pick up a bucket of cut up peaches and mangos, making her way out towards the bat enclosure. Her mother being a very famous magizoologist, Kennedy's backyard and home held a lot of animals. Magical creatures, and even some muggle ones, like the bats. The bats were some of Kennedy's favorites. This would be the last time she'd get to feed them for a while. The grass felt soft underneath her feet and the morning sun felt great on her skin, the air smelling clean and fresh in her lungs. Kennedy was in love with her home, a trait she picked up from her mother who would never leave if she wasn't so enamored with every animal on the planet, magical or not.

The massive bat house was tucked away in the back, where the trees were a bit overgrown and provided a nice amount of shade. Thick ropes were hung up between the trees, large vines being used as well to create plenty of space for the large bats to hang from. Fruit bats were the biggest bats in the muggle world, and Kennedy's favorite. She made quick work of cutting the peaches and mangos into thirds, or just big chunks. The bats weren't particular about their fruit being cut; only that they got them. Their leather wings fluttered in the wind as they stretched out, smelling food, and making quiet squeaking noises at Kennedy's approached.

She handed the fruit out quickly, helping each bat, of which there were many, by sticking the fruit onto the extended claw at the end of their wings. The bats used it like a fork to bring the fruit to their mouth to nibble and eat, quiet yips as they chattered about to one another. The bucket went quickly, as she suspected it would. The gate to the enclosure opened and Kennedy turned to greet her mother, a smile on her face as she seemed to check over the bats in a sweep of her eyes.

"Had their breakfast, have they?" she asked fondly. Kennedy showed her the empty pale and her mother nodded, pleased at the animals being feed. "I'll have to do all the feedings around here myself," she started. "Not just the bats, either."

Kennedy shrugged and said, "I have a feeling you wont mind." Aurora laughed at this, not denying the statement at all. She moved closer, taking the bucket from Kennedy and setting it on the ground, pulling Kennedy into a hug. Her mother smelled of sunflowers and sunshine, a scent that always settled Kennedy no matter how she was feeling, today being no different. She closed her eyes and enjoyed her mother's warmth, knowing she'd be away from that for quite a while as well.

"Kennedy," her mother started softly. "Don't worry about what house you'll be sorted into. It'll come naturally to you and you'll be wonderful wherever you end up." Aurora brushed Kennedy's blonde hair back over her shoulder, raking her fingers through it to pull it away from her face. "For the record, I don't think you'll end up in Slytherin."

Kennedy blinked a few times and pulled back, looking at her mother rather intensely. "You think so?" she asked, voice small. Aurora nodded yes in agreement, offering an encouraging smile to her.

"I have a feeling where you'll end up, but we'll discuss that after the sorting," she started. There was something else she wanted to say, Kennedy could tell. She hesitated for a moment, biting on her bottom lip while she debated. A moment passed and with a bit of a sigh, Aurora seemed to make up her mind. "I know Slytherin has a reputation but promise me you won't be too quick to judge. I know you, Kennedy. You are an amazing child with a good heart. I just hope that…no matter what happens…that you keep that part of you."

Kennedy frowned a little, thinking about her mother's words. Why was she so quick to dismiss Slytherin? The rumors were awful, no doubt. Jacob's telling of several students he had met were also quite telling. However, Jacob being quite the hot-headed Gryffindor himself, Kennedy knew better than to take his word without hearing the other side to it. Kennedy was much more level headed than her brother and even her mother at times, much more so like her father. She looked at the bats, creatures who also had a bad reputation. With a little huff she managed to shake her head clear, turning back to her mother, who was looking at her with expectant eyes.

"I'll keep an open mind," she promised. Aurora smiled and leaned down to kiss the top of Kennedy's head.

"I know you will. Come, it's about that time." She turned back towards the gate and motioned for Kennedy to follow her, which she did. Her heart sped up again as it looked towards the sky, the sun beginning to make it's climb. "Your father is moving everything to the car with Jacob," her mom explained. "Theodore is all packed up," she continued, talking about their owl that Jacob always took with him every year. He was mostly Jacob's owl, but the whole family was quite taken with the beautiful creature. Which wasn't surprising in a family of animal lovers. "All that's left is—" her mother started but was cut off by a shout from Kennedy.

"Oliver!" she exclaimed, rushing past her mother and into the house. She past through the sun room, formal living room, and kitchen as she headed towards the stairs. She hopped over Atticus, whose head whipped up and around to get a look at the girl flying past him. She ascended the stairs two at a time, taking the corner, almost to her bedroom. Oliver, however, wasn't in her bedroom. He was resting on the big fluffy chair in the corner, licking his paws and reaching up to clean behind his ears. Oliver, the orange tabby, had been Kennedy's present when she turned eleven, the kitten being hardly a month old. Now he was almost eight months – not quite an adult but not quite a kitten anymore either.

The cat noticed her approach and turned to look at her, standing up she stepped closer so she could easily scoop him up into her arms. "Are you ready to go, boy?" she asked, bringing him close and nuzzling into his fur. He purred happily, always greedy for attention from the girl. She took him down the stairs and out through the kitchen, two large French doors opening up to a patio that led to the driveway around the front of the house. Kenneth closed the trunk door to the car and leaned against, smiling at his daughter. Jacob had already climbed into the backseat with Theo situated in his cage next to him. Kennedy climbed in with Oliver, pulling the cat carrier from beneath her feet and onto her lap. She had taken the time to stuff it with fluffy blankets and Oliver's favorite toys and even one of Kennedy's shirts.

"Ready to go to Hogwarts?" she asked the cat quietly, excitement back in her voice. Oliver went into the carrier without too much fuss, Kennedy closing it but keeping it in her lap for comfort. "Don't worry, I'll let you out on the train," she promised. Oliver didn't seem too worried about it. Once her parents were situated in the car, the family took off out of their quiet neighborhood towards London; towards King's Cross.

"Hey," Jacob murmured, reaching past Theo's cage to nudge Kennedy. She tilted her head forward to look at him, anxiety swirling in her stomach a little. She hated fighting with Jacob. He seemed to mirror her feelings as he offered an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about breakfast," he started. "I didn't mean –"

"It's okay," Kennedy cut him off. Jacob had a hard time articulating himself sometimes. Not because he wasn't brilliant, because he was, even if she was a little biased. It was more along the lines of he had a hard time articulating his emotions. Jacob had always been a show rather than tell kind of person, something Kennedy admired about him.

"You're gonna do great," he told her, eyes full of determination for her. It made her smile, which seemed to please him enough that he leaned back in his seat, both siblings feeling much better. The ride to King's Cross was quiet and nice, Kennedy enjoying the time with her parents. When they arrived at King's Cross, however, it got quite hectic. They got their trolleys and loaded them up, Jacob setting Theo on last on the top of his things while Kennedy placed Oliver's carrier on her shoulder like a strap. Their parents ushered them to Platform 9 ¾, and Aurora motioned for Jacob to go through the wall first.

"Alright Kennedy, you're next," she told her. Kennedy looked at the wall with determination. She had been through the wall, of course. The past three years that Jacob had been going to Hogwarts she had always seen him off, just as her parents did. She broke into a run and before she knew it, she was staring at the large red train, HOGWARTS EXPRESS in large gold lettering on the front of it. Steam billowed out and the whistle blew, alerting everyone that they had just a few minutes to board. There were plenty of people about – parents ushering their kids onto the train, others trying to pry their eleven-year-olds off them, some were standing by themselves looking at the windows where they knew their child was, waving to them and talking to them over the crowd. Kennedy found Jacob easily, and motioned for to join him so one of the train workers could load of their things. The only thing they were taking onto the train itself was their respective animals and their bags, each holding the robes they would need to change into later, and a few other items.

"You brought your wand, didn't you?" Jacob asked, quirking an eyebrow up at her. In a quick panic, Kennedy patted her jeans so hard it almost hurt. Upon feeling the wand, she knew she had tucked in there, she scowled at Jacob's trick. "I had to," he defended himself.

"You're terrible," she muttered, rolling her eyes as their parents caught up to them.

"You love me," he shrugged, turning and falling directly into their mother's hug. Their father looked around, always amazed to see anything magical related, being a muggle and all. Kennedy remembered him telling her that he swore he'd get used to it someday, but apparently not today. Watching him walk around Diagon Alley was much more amusing. He finally looked at her and offered a huge smile, opening his arms, which she walked into gladly. He held her tight and kissed her hair, Kennedy feeling quite safe here. She loved it when her dad held her, mostly because she knew nothing bad would happen to her if he was.

"I love you, kiddo."

"I love you, dad. I'll write to you as soon as I'm able," she promised, looking up at him.

"Make sure you do. Watch out for your brother," he told her, thinking about something else for a moment before chuckling. "You know, I don't know much about Hogwarts, but whatever classes you wind up taking…or whatever test you wind up having to do…or any sport…anything really. Do your best and know that it's always enough. Okay?" he asked her. She nodded vigorously. The train blew it's whistle once more, signaling it was time to leave. She left her fathers embraced and went into her mother's once last time, Jacob being pulled into a rough hug by her father and even earning what her dad called a 'noogie'.

"Good luck. Remember what we talked about," her mom said. She nodded, starting to feel a little emotional. "You'll be wonderful," Aurora told her, as if it were a promise. Kennedy believed her and accepted the kiss from her mother before being pulled by Jacob.

"Time to go! See you at Christmas!" he shouted, pulling Kennedy away from their parents and hopping onto the train. A few other students did the same, the Harper siblings quickly rushing to the left side of the train in any compartment they could find so they could lower the window and stick out their head. They vigorously waved towards their parents, as did almost every kid on the train. Kennedy almost wondered how the train didn't tip from everyone's weight being on this side of the train. She laughed at the ritual of parents and children waving to and fro as the train let out one last whistle before the engine began to pull it forward, steam bellowing out of the top once more.

"Watch out for each other!" Kenneth called out, earning a thumbs up from Jacob.

"Bye!" Kennedy shouted, the train pulling further away from the station. Everyone looked back for as long as they could, until the entirety of the train pulled around the corner and headed out through a tunnel. Once the station was no longer in sight, everyone pulled back and left the cramped compartments.

"Better luck towards the back of the train, right side. Quickly," Jacob murmured, ushering her out with all the other students. There was animated talking everywhere as kids scrambled to find empty compartments. Some to find their friends and others, mostly first years, just trying to figure out where it was okay to sit. "Here," Jacob said, finding an empty compartment about ¾ of the way back, pushing Kennedy inside. She quickly pushed her bag up onto the top railing and sat, eager to set Oliver down and let him out as well. "Let it quiet down a bit," he told her, eyeing Oliver's cage. He opened the compartment door and looked left and right, and then back to Kennedy.

"If you want to go find your friends then go," she told him with a laugh. A look passed over his face, as did a frown. He didn't seem to like the idea.

"Mom and dad said to watch out for each other," he muttered. Kennedy shook her head at him.

"They didn't say we had to be joined at the hip," she waved him off. "Go find your friends."

Jacob looked over at her over his shoulder, contemplating something for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Alright, I'll go. I'll leave Theo with you for now and I'll come check on you in a little while, okay?" he asked.

"Yes, mother."

Jacob made a face, pointing at her and saying, "You're teasing me."

"Absolutely."

"Good girl," he told her with a grin. "Be back in a bit. Try not to have too much fun," he told her, taking off out the door after shutting it behind him. She rolled her eyes and looked out of the window, the scenery slowly changing into hills. It would be a while before they hit the mountains, the farms just starting to creep up on them. She deemed it quiet enough to let Oliver out, opening the carrier and pulling Oliver from his nap.

"You just couldn't care less, could you?" she asked him, jostling him a little in her grip. He opened one eye at her and then let out quite the yawn. Kennedy squinted her eyes at the little cat. "I guess you could care less," she told him, tickling this belly just a little. The cat squirmed, but ultimately curled up and nestled quite comfortably in her arms, soft purrs making their way to her ears as she stroked him with her free hand. The door to the compartment opened and Kennedy rolled her eyes again. "Jacob, you really don't need to coddle me," she scolded, looking towards the door. Jacob, however, was not standing in the doorway. In fact, there was a girl standing there, looking a little disheveled and looking at the somewhat empty compartment. She blinked, a bit of heat rushing to her cheeks at her mistake.

"Not Jacob," she told Kennedy.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. My brother…" she trailed off.

"Are you in here alone?" the girl asked her, brushing off her apology. Kennedy nodded and pulled Oliver a little closer to her, as well as adjusting Theo so he was towards the window on the floor and not taking up so much space next to her on the seat. "Great," the girl said with a grin, turning back towards the hallway. "Austin! In here!" she called out.

A tall boy with thin bright blonde hair, blue eyes, and glasses came up next to the girl and peeped his head in. He noticed Kennedy before turning to the girl.

"There's someone in here," he told her. The girl rolled her eyes a little.

"Yes, but it's just her," the girl explained. "There's room for us." The boy turned back to look at Kennedy and then back to his friend.

"You didn't even ask, did you?" he asked her. The girl's face scrunched up a bit at the question. He scoffed and shook his head, looking to Kennedy once more.

"Would you mind if we joined you? Everywhere else is packed tight," he explained.

"I wouldn't mind at all. No need to ask," Kennedy quickly answered. The boy, Austin, smiled at her in thanks and then looked back to his friend.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" he asked her, finally pushing past her to come into the compartment with his things. He put them away on top of the rail above them, setting his own barn owl in its cage on the seat across from Kennedy and began putting the girl's things away as well. Kennedy was being stared at by said girl.

"Right," she started, coming into the compartment before shutting it behind her. "Sorry about that."

"Not a problem," Kennedy assured her. The girl nodded, seemingly satisfied with that answer and took a seat next to her and across from Austin. "Are you…first years?" she asked them, curious. They both nodded to her.

"I'm Samantha Barnes," the girl told her, offering a smile as she smoothed down her brown hair. It was fairly short, and one side she kept pulled completely back with a pin. She had a pretty face and pretty green eyes and was wearing all black.

"I'm Austin Bluffs," the boy told her while tipping his head forward in greeting. "Are you a first year as well?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I am."

"Excited?" Samantha asked, a grin quickly growing on her face. Kennedy agreed with her and let out a quick laugh. "Your cat is really pretty," she said.

"Oh, this is Oliver!" she told them, introducing her little orange furball.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?" Austin asked. Kennedy blinked a few time and heat rushed to her face once more. She had forgotten to introduce herself.

"Right. I'm Kennedy," she told them. "Kennedy Harper."


End file.
